Uber to end controversial post-trip tracking as part of privacy drive

Uber is set to reverse a controversial decision to collect users' location information after their trip ends, Reuters reports, with the privacy u-turn coming first to the iPhone app -- expected to get the update this week -- and subsequently to Uber's Android app.

This is according to Uber's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, who told the news agency the company will restore the ability for users to share location data only when they are using the app.

We've reached out to Uber with questions.

The controversial post-trip tracking feature was enabled by Uber last November, after an app update asked users to choose between being tracked always or never, instead of the prior ability to share location only 'when using the app'.

Users selecting 'never' would have to manually enter all their pick up and drop off locations -- meaning opting out of the feature resulted in a significantly degraded user experience.

For those feeling forced to agree to having their location 'always' tracked, Uber claimed it would only track users for five minutes after a trip ended -- and said it wanted to do so for safety reasons, such as to improve rider picks-ups and drop-offs.

According to Reuters, Uber said it never actually began post-trip tracking for iPhone users, and suspended the feature for Android users. But Sullivan now couches the move to gather more information from users without making it clear what it would offer in return as a mistake.

If the company decides there is value in tracking a rider’s location for five minutes after drop-off in the future Sullivan told Reuters it will seek to explain what the value is and allow customers to opt in to the setting, i.e. rather than pushing it as a de facto default. He added that Uber had previously suffered “a lack of expertise” around privacy, though also claimed the company had still been committed to privacy.

Sullivan said more privacy, security and transparency related updates will be coming in the next year -- as you'd expect, given Uber's recent settlement with the FTC.

Earlier this month Uber agreed to settle an FTC privacy and security investigation by putting in place a comprehensive privacy program -- including agreeing to 20 years of external audits.